You are now in Education Features category.

"Misty" by Bonita Vista High School Noah Kitcher sophomore was a winning entry in the 2022 Sweetwater Authority High School Student Photo Contest. Photo: Sweetwater Authority

Sweetwater Authority 2023 Student Photo Contest Open

/in , /by

The 15th annual Sweetwater Authority High School Photo Contest is now open for entries. The contest showcases and celebrates how safe, reliable water service supports our daily lives through photography.

The theme for the 2023 contest is “Water In Daily Life.” Past winners have featured photos from landscapes to everyday household activities and using water to wildlife and pets.

1st Place: Ashley Monroy, Hilltop High School, Grade 12 – “Summer Day.” Photo: Sweetwater Authority

1st Place in the 2002 Color Category: Ashley Monroy, Hilltop High School, Grade 12 – “Summer Day.” Photo: Sweetwater Authority

“Water in Daily Life”

“Whether at home, outdoors, at school, or within our community, water is vital to everything we do,” said Sweetwater Authority Board Chair Hector Martinez. “This contest offers students a chance to reflect on how water supports their lives and showcase that through their artistic talent. The Board is proud to continue this tradition of engaging with local students about the value of water, both through this contest and our other education programs and partnerships.

Winners will receive monetary prizes, have their artwork displayed at the Bonita Museum & Cultural Center, and receive recognition at a Sweetwater Authority Board meeting in May 2023.

Creativity, technical quality, visual appeal, and theme

Honorable Mention winners in the 2022 Color Category: (L) Skyler Yowakim, 9th Grade, Bonita Vista High School, “Stepping Into The Future;” (R) Sebastian Pimentel Lugo, 9th Grade, Sweetwater High School “Solin Bath.” Photo: Sweetwater Authority

The contest is open to students who live or attend school in the Sweetwater Authority service area.

The deadline to submit entries is 5 p.m. March 17. Photos must be taken in 2022 or 2023 within the Sweetwater River Watershed or the  Sweetwater Authority service area boundaries covering National City, Bonita, and western and central Chula Vista.

Photos may be in black and white or color. Entrants can submit up to three photos in each category. Students are permitted to edit the photos for minor adjustments only and must retain a natural, realistic appearance. Photos may not depict bottled water or the ocean or beach.

1st Place: Skyler Yowakim, Bonita Vista High School, Grade 9 – “Making A Wave.' Photo: Sweetwater Authority

1st Place in the 2022 Black and White category: Skyler Yowakim, Bonita Vista High School, Grade 9 – “Making A Wave.’ Photo: Sweetwater Authority

In addition, each photo must include a short essay of 50 to 100 words describing how the photo related to the contest theme. Judging will be performed by a panel of Sweetwater Authority staff and community experts. Judging criteria includes creativity, technical quality, adherence to the theme, visual appeal, and the narrative to explain the significance of the photo

Winners receive cash prizes: $400 for first place, $300 for second place, and $200 for third place. Sixty-five students submitted entries in last year’s competition. Full contest rules and submission information is available at www.sweetwater.org/photocontest. Submissions must be emailed to . Photos must be in JPEG form, 10 MB or less, and 300 PPI resolution. Photos must be sized to 8 x 10 inches.

(Editor’s note: The SweetwaterAuthority is one of the San Diego County Water Authority’s 24 member agencies that deliver water across the San Diego County region.) 

Sweetwater Authority Logo 2019Sweetwater Authority Logo 2019

Sweetwater Authority Secures Additional Water for Customers Through Controlled Transfer Between Reservoirs

/in , /by

Chula Vista, Calif. – In order to secure additional water supply for our customers, Sweetwater Authority initiated a controlled transfer of water between its two reservoirs on January 26, 2023.

“Late December and January brought substantial rainfall to the region,” said General Manager Carlos Quintero. “However, after four years of dry weather patterns, we are still in need of water. Sweetwater Reservoir is below 40 percent capacity. These transfers are standard operational practices that we conduct to secure the water supply for our customers.”

Water that leaves Loveland Reservoir is transferred through the Sweetwater River channel and captured at Sweetwater Reservoir where it can be treated and distributed to Authority customers at a lower cost than importing water. Recent rainfall and saturated soils have created optimal conditions for the transfer. The Authority anticipates capturing approximately 3,500 acre-feet of water with the transfer. This equates to a savings of approximately $5 million in costs associated with purchasing imported water.

A similar water transfer was last initiated in November 2022. That transfer captured approximately 4,000 acre-feet of water, saving Authority customers more than $6.2 million. Additional runoff will continue to flow in the Sweetwater Reservoir once the transfer is completed from subsequent storms this winter. The Authority expects that after this transfer, there will be sufficient water stored behind Sweetwater Reservoir to provide an adequate supply for over one year. The Authority will monitor the water transfer, which will occur over several weeks, and make modifications as necessary depending on weather conditions.

The Authority worked closely with local landowners and businesses near the Sweetwater River channel, notifying them by mail and phone prior to the start of the transfer to lessen any potential impacts. The Authority conducts controlled transfers periodically and coordinates with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to ensure that environmental needs are met.

Download File
San Diego County Water Authority And its 24 Member Agencies

Water Authority Welcomes New MWD Board Chair Adán Ortega

/in , /by

January 26, 2023 – The San Diego County Water Authority Board of Directors today welcomed Metropolitan Water District of Southern California Board Chair Adán Ortega, Jr. by hosting a reception for him to meet San Diego County’s community, civic and business leaders.

Ortega took the helm of  MWD’s Board on January 10 as the first Latino chair in the district’s 95-year history. In a presentation today during the Water Authority’s formal Board meeting, Ortega focused on shared challenges and opportunities the two water wholesalers face in the era of climate change.

Download File

Water Authority Welcomes New MWD Board Chair Adán Ortega

/in , /by

The San Diego County Water Authority Board of Directors on January 26 welcomed Metropolitan Water District of Southern California Board Chair Adán Ortega, Jr. by hosting a reception for him to meet San Diego County’s community, civic and business leaders.

Ortega took the helm of  MWD’s Board on January 10 as the first Latino chair in the district’s 95-year history. In a presentation during the Water Authority’s formal Board meeting, Ortega focused on shared challenges and opportunities the two water wholesalers face in the era of climate change.

Water agencies together face challenging issues

“Past conflicts aside, I see the San Diego County experience as a model that Metropolitan and other water agencies will need to consider as we confront the changed climate. The San Diego region recognized earlier than many – more than 20 years ago – the need to invest in water supply and infrastructure improvements to ensure reliability,” said Ortega, who made formal comments during the Water Authority’s Board meeting. “The need for these investments has only become more urgent as the impacts of climate change undermine both Bay-Delta and Colorado River water supplies.”

Adán Ortega: “New class of water infrastructure and management”

Ortega also noted that “San Diego’s investments have come at a cost in the form of higher water rates, but the result has been protection against drought,” including the drought that has threatened water supplies across California for the past three years.

“We can’t escape the reality of increasing water rates among our member agencies and Metropolitan, just as San Diego had to do,” Ortega said. “With climate change, we need to envision a new class of water infrastructure and management. San Diego’s leaders and ratepayers have reckoned with rate increases to keep water flowing even with critical shortages in traditional sources of water. That’s the definition of resiliency.”

Ortega has represented the City of San Fernando on the MWD board since March 2021. He is the principal at Ortega Strategies group, a public and government relations firm based in Fullerton, and he served as Metropolitan’s vice president of external affairs from 1999 to 2005. Before representing San Fernando, he served as the City of Fullerton’s representative on the MWD Board.

As chair, Ortega said he places a strong emphasis on agency ethics and the values of diversity, equity and inclusion for Metropolitan’s board and staff. He has appointed the most diverse leadership slate in MWD’s history, including appointment of leadership positions to three of the Water Authority’s four delegates including a board vice chair and chairmanship of the agency’s finance committee. The Water Authority fourth delegate – Lois Fong-Sakai – was recently elected by her peers to serve as MWD Board secretary and parliamentarian.

“Proven consensus builder”

“With decades of experience in government service, Adán is a proven consensus builder who is ideally suited to lead Metropolitan’s diverse 26 member agencies during a period of historic transitions impacting water supply and the environment both in MWD’s service area and the Southwest,” said Water Authority Board Chair Mel Katz.

The Water Authority relies on MWD for about 13% of its water supplies, along with transporting water through the Colorado River Aqueduct to San Diego County. The Water Authority and MWD are working together on critical issues of drought and water supply planning as well as daily coordination of water deliveries.

“Water challenges in the West will continue to grow,” said Katz, “but I am confident that working together with MWD and its member agencies we can meet the needs of Southern California for generations to come.”

The Colorado River is Overused and Shrinking. Inside the Crisis Transforming the Southwest

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Ian James and Molly Hennessy-Fiske

The Colorado River begins as melting snow, trickling from forested peaks and coursing in streams that gather in the meadows and valleys of the Rocky Mountains.

Like arteries, its major tributaries take shape across Colorado, Wyoming, Utah and New Mexico, coming together in a great river like no other — a river that travels more than 1,400 miles and has defined the rise of the American Southwest over the last century.

Full Story

Tijuana Running Out of Water, Turns to California for Help

/in , , /by /FOX 5 (Border Report)by Salvador Rivera Quoted: San Diego County Water Authority

As of Friday morning, more than 600 colonias were without running water in Tijuana and Rosarito, where residents say service has been spotty since last year.

Facing the possibility of running out of water, Tijuana’s State Commission for Public Services, CESPT, turned to the San Diego County Water Authority for help.

Agreements in place between Mexico and the United States allow for water deliveries in times of emergency or severe drought.

Full Story

Drought Threatens Hydropower Produced by Colorado River

/in , , /by /Marketplaceby Savannah Maher

The seven U.S. states along the Colorado River — Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada and California — are up against yet another deadline to curb their water use amid extreme drought. They have until Tuesday to agree on massive voluntary cuts or the Bureau of Reclamation, a Department of the Interior agency, has said it will impose cuts on them.

The basin states have called the federal government’s bluff before, but whatever happens next week, millions of westerners and their livelihoods will be affected.

Full Story

How Golf Courses Are Adapting to a Changing World

/in , , /by /CBS8by Alex Kleinman

Tens of thousands of golf fans are watching the world’s top golfers tee off at the Farmers Insurance Open. The tournament sits on towering cliffs that stand starkly against the picturesque backdrop of the Pacific Ocean.

But in that backdrop sits a worrying reminder of the tremendous power of Mother Nature — one that has forced the golf community to reevaluate its relationship with the environment.

Full Story

Storm Deluge Stirs Hope for Water Supply

/in , , /by /Ag Alertby Christine Souza

California farmers are encouraged by the series of atmospheric river storms that brought near-record rain and snow, filling depleted reservoirs and bolstering the snowpack.

Frost Pauli, vineyard manager for Pauli Ranch in Potter Valley in Mendocino County, said he feels optimistic after three intense years of drought. He said the winter storms “have been excellent for our water supply.”

Full Story

Why the Snowfall in Colorado Rockies Isn’t Likely to Alleviate the Drought

/in , , /by /The Hillby Gianna Melillo

A string of winter storms that brought heavier than average snow and rain across the west increased snowpack in the Western Rockies to 146 percent of average, a gain that holds the potential to boost reservoir levels in the coming months.

Despite the extra snowpack, experts say it’s too early to tell what things will look like in the spring, and that much more steady precipitation is needed to make any significant dents in the dwindling water supply of the Colorado River.

Full Story